The Complete Druid's Handbook

130 Pages·2015·21.4 MB·English

A
Rules Supplement
The
Complete
Druid’s
Handbook
by David Puhrer
I
Table of Contents
1
...............
Introduction. .3
--
I I Personality Types 1. .......
Chapter 1: Diplomat .......................
..........
Druid Characters.. .4 Gardener .......................
Druidic Organization. ........ .4 Idealist ....................... .~.
The Essential Druid .......... .5 Mysterious Figure. ......................
Druidic Branches ............ .8 Nurturer ...............................
Branch Portraits ............ .10 Rustic ..................................... 79
Arctic Druid .............. 1C Traditionalist .............................. '7n
Desert Druid. ............ .12 Fanatic ...................................
............................... 13 Misanthrope. .............................. .80
............................... 14 Druid Campaigns. ........................... .80
............................... 16
uid ........................... .17 Chapter 5 1
...
............................... 17 Druidic Magic. QL
.............................. 18 New Spells. ......
Class Druids. .................. 20 First-level ......
xpanded Rules .... ........... 22 Second-level. ...
Third-level .....
Chapter 2 Fourth-level ....
.................
Druid Kits .24 Fifth-level ...
Using Kits. ................. .24 Sixth-level ...................
A Look at Druid Kits ........ Seventh-level ..................
Adviser. ........ ......... New Magical Items. .............
.......~. ........ .27 Herbal Magic. ..................
Beastfriend.. ............. .28 !
Guardian.. ................ 30
.............................. .31 CSahcarpetde Gr 6r:o ves.. .~. ....
............... .............. 32 Features of a Sacred Grove . . . 107
Natural IPhilosopher ........................ .33 Stewardship ............... .lo8
outlaw I. .................................. .34 Sanctifying and Awakening
Pacifist ~... ................................ .35 a Grove ................, ..
.36 Magical Sacred Groves. .... ..
................................ 37 Defiled and Cursed Groves. ..
............................. .39 Standing Stones. ...................
............................ .39
............................... 41 Appendixes:
........................... .42 A: AD&W Original
.................. .42 Edition Druids. ..... 119
B: Bibliography .......
Chapter 3:
........
The Druidic Order.. .43 Druid Character
.
The Circles ................. .43 Record Sheet..
High-level Druids .......... .45
The Shadow Circle .......... .53 Druid Kit Record Sheet .........
Creating a
Druidic History. .......... .56
L,
Introduction
Mysterious guardian of a sacred grove,
1:Farmfiting ............................... 22
wise counselor to monarchs, cunning master
2: Farm Random Events. ..................... .23
3 Lesser Grove Powers ................. .112 of many shapes, friend of animals, and ter-
4 Greater Grove Powers .................... .114 rible defender of unspoiled Nature: This is
5: Properties of Cursed Groves. .............. .115 the druid of the ADVANCED
6: Powers of Standing Stones ................. 118
DRAGONSga@m e.
7 Original Druid Experience Points ........... 120
Although the priests of the
8 Original Hierophant Experience Points ...... 121
9 Elemental Conjurings. .................... .122 Western Europe in the time of Rome called
10: Druidic Spells by Class and Level ........... 123 themselves druids, the druids of the AD&
game are not Celtic priests, nor do th
CREDITS tice the bloody rites that made the
druids infamous in the eyes of Rome
Design: David Pulver these druids more closely resemble creatures
Editing: Sue Weinlein of Victorian romance and modern fantasy,
New Black and White Art: Jeff Easley Merlin figures who revere Nature and wield
Color Art: Larry Elmore, power over plants, animals, the weather, and
Keith Parkinson, Alan Pollack the elements.
Typography: Angelika Lokotz This book is designed to illuminate the
Production: Paul Hanchette many abilities of druids and show how the
Special Thanks: Peter Donald, Chris Murray, neutral and "unaligned" druid can best ad-
Bruce Norman, and Tim Pulver. venture with a party of predominantly good
characters. It also reveals what a druid does
when not adventuring and demonstrates how
TSR, Inc. TSR, Ltd. a druid can become the center of a new and
POB 756 120 Church End, exciting campaign.
Lake Geneva, Cherry Hinton The Complete Druid's Handbook add
WI 53147 Cambridge CB13LB ous options to the druid class from
USA. United Kingdom er 's Handbook, including druids from regions
other than the woodlands, and introduces
many specialized druid kits. Also included
are new spells and magical items, as well as
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, DRAGON, rules for a druid's sacred grove.
SPELLJAMMER,D UNGEON MASTER, FORGOTTEN REALMS,
Those using this book with the AD&D
and WORLD OF GREYHAWK are registered trademarks owned
by TSR, Inc. PLANESCAPE, MONSTROUS MANUAL, and the Original Edition game should know that page
TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.
references correspond with the AD&D 2nd
All E Xc harhrs, character names, and the distinctive likenesses
thereof are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Edition Player's Handbook (PH)a nd DUNGEON
Q 1994 EX,I nc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. MASTERG@ui de (DMG).T he original druid
Random House and its affiliates have worldwide distribution class appears here as an appendix, with some
rights in the book trade for English language products of TSR, Inc. material from the AD&D Original Edition ref-
Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by
TSR Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distrib- erence book Unearthed Arcuna. 11
utors.
This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United
States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the
material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the
express written permission of TSR, Inc.
Introduction 3
4
Druid Characters
I I
-r
Y
--
A
The traditional druid is a guardian of the
woodlands. Nature, however, is vast and
diverse; thus the druids detailed in this book
might live their lives protecting jungle rain
forests, arctic tundra, or even the subter-
ranean Underdark. As a result, several dis-
tinct branches of druid are presented here,
each essentially a new subclass built around
the basic concept of the druid class. As a
player, choose your druidic branch right after
deciding to play a druid character.
Dmidik Organhalion
The bpic druid as described in the PH is
referred to here as the "forest druid." The
the other branches reflect their geo-
arctic druids, desert druids,
for a desert druid. Instead, the branch of alignment and the beliefs of dkuids, refer to
desert druids has granted powers enabling Chapter 4: Role-playing Druids[
them to survive in arid country.
Some rivalry exists between the different
Experience and Hit Dice
branches of druids. On most worlds, the for-
I
est druids belong to the dominant branch. All druids must use the dr$id column of
However, on a few worlds (such as one in the Table 23: Priest Experience Levels (PH,p . 33).
midst of an ice age) another branch might Druids, like other memberslo f the priest
wield the most power. For more details on group, use eight-sided Hit Dice,( HD), gaining
rivalry between branches, see Chapter 3: The one die per level from 1st thraugh 9th level.
&
Druidic Order. After 9th level, druids receive additional 2
The Dungeon Master can restrict some hit points per level, but gain nq special bonus
branches to nonplayer characters (NPCs) or for high Constitution.
even prohibit them to suit the background or
direction of a campaign. For example, the
Proflciencies and Crossover l
Dungeon Master (DM) might decide that the
1
gray druids of the Underdark would make Druids gain proficiencies j1 st like other
exciting adversaries for the characters. Since priests (PH, p. 50), starting wit two weapon
having player characters (PCs) as gray druids and four nonweapon proficien ies.
would water down the impact of the gray It is strongly recommended that you, the
druids as foes, the DM can prohibit players player, use the optional nonjveapon profi-
from choosing that branch. Later in the cam- ciency rules when creating drpid characters
paign, after the party has encountered the with this book. The variou$ branches of
gray druids, the DM might open the branch
to players.
Similarly, some druid branches simply may
not seem very logical or useful in certain cam- druids.
paigns. A wise DM would discourage players
from selecting the arctic branch for their come from the general,
druid characters in a campaign set in a jungle. groups. Druids have
The Essential Druid
Some characteristics and limitations apply
to all branches of the druidic order. The fol-
lowing section expands on the rules for druid tI
Money and Eqbipment
characters in the PH (pgs. 35-38).
\
Druids start with 3d6x10 p, which they
.
can use to purchase equipmen All but a few
Alignmient and -os
coins (less than I gp) must bd spent prior to
All dlruids are of neutral alignment and entering play.
t
share an ethos devoted to protecting the wil- If using the optional drui kit rules de-
derness and maintaining natural cycles and a scribed later in this book, b th the initial
balanca between good and evil (PH, pgs. 37, money and the equipment qllowed might
47). For a detailed discussion of the neutral vary depending on the kit.
ii
~
,I
I Druid Characters 5
nondruidic eavesdroppers. It is a precise 1 -
Magical Items
for discussing Nature; a druid pan say ”dense,
Druids use all magical items normally per- old-growth pine forest” in oilte word rather
mitted to priests, with the exception of writ- than a whole phrase.
ten items (books and scrolls) and those types The secret language has a specialized and
of arrnor and weapons that are normally for- detailed vocabulary limited to dealing with
bidden them. (The weapons and armor per- Nature and natural events; beyond this
mitted to members of each branch and kit do sphere, it is very basic. A druid could use the
vary, but they remain similar to those allowed secret language to talk about the health of a
to druids in the PH.) person, animal, or plant; discuss the weather;
Thus, a druid who finds magical chain mail or give detailed directions through the wil-
may nat wear it, since druids must use only derness. The language also cap describe dru-
nonmetallic armor. Similarly, a druid cannot idic spells, ceremonies, powerk, and any nat-
kield a magical mace, since maces are not ural and supernatural creaturep known to the
among the permitted druidic arms. druids. However, it containq no words for
sophisticated human emotions1 for most tools
or artifacts (beyond those us Ld f or hunting,
The Setret Language
farming, or fishing), or for eapons and
All druids can speak a secret language in armor (other than items druidli use). The lan-
,
addition to other tongues they know. Using guage also contains few wor s that refer to
the optional proficiency system, the secret concepts peculiar to sentient bqings, like prop-
language does not require a proficiency slot. erty, justice, theft, or war. Tenge distinctions
blur in this secret tongue; uspally the con-
cepts druids express bear a cdrtain immedi-
acy or timelessness.
Finally, the secret languagd of the druids
remains a purely spoken tongue. A few
simple runes or marks (symbplizing danger,
:p
safe water, safe trail, and so on) xist for mark-
ing paths and leaving messag s, but the lan-
guage cannot communicate a tual sentences
converse
One druid wishes to say:
i
This magical long sword was a gift to
Melinda, wife to King Rupett, from Ru-
pert’s court wizard Drufus. The mage
d
Not nly can druids use the secret lan- gave it the power to throw lightning
guage to provide passwords, they can speak bolts. But then King Rupert grew jealous
this private tongue when they wish to baffle of Melinda. He had her executed and
1
I
took the blade for himself. After Rupert language. However, they may have devel-
died, the sword was left buried in the oped their own regional accents or dialects.
dungeons under his cast1 These could enable a listener to identify the
region the druid comes from, or provide a
In the secret language, the story might come clue to the speaker’s branch.
out something like this: In a SPELLJAMMERo@r PL
paign and through the use
This magic scimitar was for the Tall and magical items, druids from different
Golden Female, mate of the Man-Leader, worlds can meet. The DM should decide
from the Wielder of Magic from the Vale whether their secret languages resemble each
of the White Eagles. He put the call light- other enough to allow communication.
ning power in it. But the Man-Leader Finally, the druid’s secret language, while
wanted it. He killed the Tall Golden private, is not supernatural-theoretically,
Female and took it for himself. He died. others can learn it. However, because the
The scimitar stayed in the cave under his tongue provides druids with code phrases or
big stone man-den. passwords, they simply will not teach it to
nondruids. The great druid of the region will
See the difference? There’s no word for long punish any who break with this tradition.
sword, so our druid has substituted ”scimi-
tar.” (All druidic weapons have names.) The
Shapechanging
idea of a gift is described in more basic terms.
In addition, the concept of naming has no Characters belonging to almost all druidic
place in this Nature-oriented language; branches (discussed later in this chapter) can
people and creatures are known by descrip- shapechange into various animal forms upon
tion, status, or place of origin. reaching 7th level. For more than the follow-
Wizard becomes the more generic ”wielder ing guidelines, consult the description of a
of magic.” Lightning, a natural phenomenon, particular branch’s granted powers.
has an equivalent in the secret language. But Normally, the druid can assume only a lim-
the secret language cannot convey a human ited number of shapes each day, depending
emotion such as Rupert’s jealousy, so the on the character’s branch; the choice of branch
druid has had to substitute less precise phras- usually restricts the types of forms the druid
ing. Similarly, the private tongue does not can assume.
cover execution or murder, so the druid used Shifting shape takes one round, during
the more generic “killed.’’ Finally, no druidic which the druid cannot take other actions.
term corresponds to dungeon or castle, so the The druid can remain in the new shape indef-
druid has had to use other words--”cave initely-the duration of a f
under his big stone man-den”-to convey when the druid turns back
that image. Of course, a druid not worried shape or assumes another one. A druid can
about being overheard might mix the secret shift from one shape to another without re-
language and normal speech in a single sen- turning to human form first.
tence. Upon assuming a new form, the druid
The secret language helps bind the world- heals 10% to 60% (ld6x10) of all damage.
wide druidic order together. Druids from dif- (Round fractions down.) For example, a druid
ferent circles (See Chapter 3: The Druidic who has suffered 15 points of damage rolls a
Order) or branches all speak the same secret 3 on a d6. Therefore, the character regains
Druid Characters 7
30%~15hp , or 4.5 hp. This value becomes 4 campaign world the Grand Druid, chief of all
hit points after rounding. druids in the world. The Grand Druid can
The animal form a druid assumes can vary come from any branch, though on many
from the size of a bullfrog or small bird to that worlds this position requires a member of the
of a black bear. Unless noted otherwise, the usually dominant forest druids. A Grand
druid can assume only the form of a normal Druid who retires and continues to gain expe-
(real-world) animal in normal proportions. A rience can become a hierophant druid, of
druid in animal form takes on all the beast's which a world can have any number.
physical characteristics- movement rate, The rules for druids of 12th and higher lev-
abilities, Armor Class (AC), number of els described in the PH on pgs. 37-38 apply to
attacks, and damage per attack. The druid all druidic branches. For more details on the
retains original hit point and saving throw hierarchy of druids and the special responsibil-
values. ities of higher-level characters, see Chapter 3:
The druid's clothing and one item held in The Druidic Order.
each hand also become part of the new body;
these reappear when the druid resumes nor-
Druidic Branches
mal shape. Generally, a druid in animal form
cannot use such items, but in particularly Each branch within the druidic order oper-
challenging campaigns, the DM may allow ates, effectively, as a separate priest class
protective devices, such as a ring of protection, under the standard druid rules. Here's how
to function normally. the pages that follow describe the characteris-
A shapechanged druid radiates strong tics of each branch
Alteration magic. Minimum Ability Scores. The druidic
prime requisites of Wisdom 12 and Charisma
15, or slightly modified scores, serve as the
Turning Undead
minimum ability scores necessary for a char-
No druid has the granted power to turn acter to choose a particular branch.
undead. Such creatures are not of the living Races Allowed. Standard (forest) druids
world-the only world that concerns druids are usually humans or half-elves, but mem-
-so members of this class have no control bers of other races can choose some druidic
over them. branches. (Details on these options appear in
The Complete Book of Humanoids.) A number in
parenthesis shows the maximum level these
Higher-level Druids
characters normally reach; they can achieve
The worldwide organization of the druids higher levels only with high ability scores, as
allows for the existence of only a limited stated in the DMG, pgs. 14-15.
number of 12th- or higher-level druids, as- Armor and Weapons Permitted. Most
signing them special titles, servants, and druids wear natural armor (leather) and use
responsibilities. Druids who gain enough wooden shields. Other armors, especially
experience to reach 12th level can advance metallic kinds, are forbidden to all druids.
only if they find a vacancy within the Order's Most of the weapons permitted to druids of
ranks or wrest a position from another druid a particular branch resemble tools used in
through the challenge. (See Chapter 3: The herding, hunting, and farming, or hold sym-
Druidic Order.) bolic meaning to the druid. For instance, the
Only one 15th-level druid exists in any curved scimitar and khopesh represent both
8 Chapter One
aurials, and swanrnays. regions of a campaign. They could reach the
s can become druids, a 7th level of ability. Again, players could
develop a druidlike priest kit for this race.
Halflings. The AD&D Original Edition
game allowed halflings to reach the 6th level.
of ability as NPCs; Umarthcd Arcana allowed*
halfling druid PCs to reach higher levels. In",
the AD&D 2nd Edition Complefe Book of".
tree, but it remains unlikely that
elf druids can reach 12th level (like r
ch with having fun to
side of a druid's life.
the sickle used in the harvest and the crescent prove a problem, especially in areas like the
moon, which stands for birth, death, and arctic tundra. Nonmetallic materials can make
rebirth in the cycle of Nature. effective weapons, with the following modi-
The standard druid can use the following fiers (compared to similar metallic items):
weapons: club, sickle, dart, spear, dagger, Bone: 30% cost; 50% weight; -1 damage; -1
scimitar, sling, and staff (optional: scythe). to attack roll.
Use of metallic weapons and tools usually Stone: 50% cost; 75% weight; -1 damage;
-L
remains unrestricted, but local availability can to attack roll.
Druid Characters 9